25 November 2005 - The European Union will have a Biomass Action Plan in place in the near future despite it not being adopted as hoped on Wednesday, said an EC representative at a conference in London yesterday.

Speaking at the joint Eurelectric and Association of Electricity Producers Northern European Regional conference, Samuele Furfari, a deputy head of a unit at the European Commission, said that biomass was the sleeping giant of renewable energy generation.

Furfari said the proposed Action Plan would be resubmitted in 2006 and was confident that it would be adopted the second time around.

In 2001, total biomass production for energy purposes in the EU was 56 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe). According to the EU, to achieve the RES (renewable energy sources) target of 12 per cent by 2010, a further 74 Mtoe will be required. To reach this figure each sector would have to contribute the following additional amount of biomass energy: electricity 32 Mtoe, heat 24 Mtoe, and biofuels 18 Mtoe. This would lead to a total biomass accumulated energy production of 130 Mtoe in 2010.

The EU believes that only the introduction of an EC wide Biomass Action Plan will ensure this target is met.